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Topic: The Future of Star Wars Collecting? (Read 32541 times)

It's kind of weird how that despite the fact that there's nothing really new out there, I still look for stuff to buy to fill in holes. I've been browsing eBay a lot more looking for deals on imperial troops to fortify some of my squads and platoons. Still looking forward to the new releases though.

Its funny, I still check the SW section too, even though I know there is absolutely nothing out to check for really (that goes for most lines lately actually). I'm really wondering about the future of Star Wars action figures lately, it has been such a strange year. I don't think I've spent a dime on SW in 2013, and that hasn't happened since I first got on this train during the later POTF2 years. Also, it is starting to seem concerning that now etailers have preorders up for these waves yet, although I guess the 6" and Movie Heroes lines aren't available yet either so who knows. I just wonder if the 3 3/4" Black Series stuff is going to continue much longer, or if we'll see a switch to 6" "collector figures" and lower articulation stuff across the board in 3 3/4" scale. Now, with news of a new cartoon, I wonder if we'll see changes because of that too. I hope this time around, they just stick to one "style" for the line. It is definitely a strange time to be a SW collector these days.

As I wrote in another thread (probably very off-topic, but I started out rambling about Vintage, so...), Hasbro's handling of this line has pretty much driven me out of collecting any of their properties, with the exception of Transformers, which you can occasionally find SOMETHING from. Having to go pretty much online only on a limited collecting budget last year was the major straw that broke the camel's back, but their continual seeming self-sabotage on SW recently has just taken any and all fun out of what used to be an enjoyable part of my life. I was spending more time and energy trying to find pieces and getting very little emotional return on my "hobby", so I just decided that, unless I see it at retail, I'm not interested.

It's enabled me to find things that truly do bring me enjoyment (namely Lego, but also gave me time to get back into X-Men comics, and I've been catching up on the stories/books I've missed since graduate school lately), and that don't cause me to develop an ulcer because Hasbro didn't ship them, or the only place I can get them is on Ebay for 40 bucks a pop. I really feel sorry for completists (if they're still out there), because I know better than most what a need to be complete can do to people on an emotional level, especially when you can't be complete.

The thing that really strikes me as telling about where I'd rather put my energy has to do with this being Return of the Jedi's 30th anniversary. That is a HUGE deal for a film to still be relevant and loved after that time period, and when asked what they planned to do to celebrate, Hasbro said they were doing nothing special. Sure, they're rereleasing the TIE Interceptor in a vintage box, but you'd think there would at least be a wave of figures they could release to celebrate. But no, instead we get yet another prequel wave with a few ANH figures mixed in.

Lego, on the other hand, has (in the last year) released or will release:

Even Sideshow is doing that incredible (yet out of my price range) Darth Vader 1/6 scale doll, but Hasbro can't do anything outside of reissue a 4 year old toy in a new box at (what will likely be) a 10 dollar price hike? I just don't get it. The only thing that would be more bizarre would be if Hasbro did ANOTHER wave of Episode I figures in the Black Series line. Then again, we've only seen the first two waves, so maybe they have another Qui-Gon or Daultay Dofine on the drawing board because "kids love random Neimoidians."

Well said. I got out at the end of the RotS line when they were releasing those final waves of repaints, and they were near impossible to find here. With that headache, and escalating pricing, I decided to get out.

I still buy figures here and there for my son, particularly ESB related stuff, and almost only when there is a deal to be had (for example, I bought a bunch when TRU had vintage down to $5 per). I can only imagine how frustrating it is now to someone who wants to be complete.

Doesn't sound like the deal was extended (still expires 2020 currently), but the license was expanded to include the sequel trilogy movie toys and "other potential Star Wars related entertainment", which would be TV and spin-off/standalone movies I guess.

And the price for the sequels - $225 million! $75 million now plus $50million due with each sequel movie release year. Better sell a lot of Angry Birds to help pay for all that.

Well, that sucks, IMHO. I was hoping Disney would bring the toy production in house like the video games, animation, etc. I know logistically speaking that was not likely to happen but it would seem to fit their overall business model.

Over the past few years it's just become apparent to me that they have had the license too long. They've gotten greedy and lazy and don't seem to have a clue how to effectively manage the brand anymore. A younger, hungrier company could really work wonders to liven things up. Someone who is passionate about the creative opportunities and not hung up on the $%^&* bean counting.

I get that it's a changing economy, changing play habits, more competition, whatever. But that doesn't explain or excuse a lot of the missteps we have seen over the past few years. It's hard not to be curious about what a leaner more motivated company might do with the license.

Over the past few years it's just become apparent to me that they have had the license too long. They've gotten greedy and lazy and don't seem to have a clue how to effectively manage the brand anymore. A younger, hungrier company could really work wonders to liven things up. Someone who is passionate about the creative opportunities and not hung up on the $%^&* bean counting.

Maybe, but a younger, hungrier company could also have years worth of growing pains that would frustrate collectors all the same. Meanwhile, you'd probably have consistency gaps in terms of sculpt and quality. Additionally, a new company is probably going to start from scratch in terms of what they're making, so it's not like you're going to get a break in the constant roll out of classic characters. It'd be all Han, Luke, Leia, Vader, Maul, Obi-Wan all over again.

I like the balance between toy and collectible that Hasbro maintain or maintained. The idea of some company like Jazzwares or somebody doing Star Wars. Or McFarlane highly detailed and painted statues. No, thanks.